It's been a while since I have posted on the progress of my layout. Work has been slow with other things occupying my time, but I have made some decent progress. With the exception of one switch, all the track for the mainlines has been put together. Nothing is fastened down or wired, just put into position so I can trace out the track to lay cork roadbed, hopefully in the next few weeks.
Here are some progress photos, please pardon the mess:
These shots give an overview of the four sides of the layout. You can see in the first photo where I am waiting on the last switch to come in. This will lead off to the yard. I have been playing with how I will be setting up my yard tracks. I have a Ross 4-way at the throat. I am considering having the 4-way at an angle partway between the switch coming off the mainline and the yard tracks themselves (okay, that makes no sense in writing, so see the pictures below). This arrangement would allow for each yard track to be at least a foot longer as the tracks curve out of the 4-way. It will also help to hide a sharp curve as I plan on using O54 on the turn into the 4-way from the mainline. The one downside would be having to bend curves into the yard tracks. The geometry of the switch and the spacing I want would require the track closest to the wall to be the sharpest curve. Again, I'm still not 100% on this switch placement, it just came to me one day and I laid it out to see how it would work.
Also in regard to the yard area, I have elected to nix the engine service facility. Unfortunately, the area is just too small to make it work and look right. In the future when more space is available, and since the door modules can be fairly easily expanded, I can build a proper engine service facility. In the mean time, I have decided that my coaling tower and water column will be on the mainline itself, much like the concrete coaling tower on the old MC (I think) mainline near New Buffalo, MI/Michigan City, IN. I have used some of my passenger cars to test the clearance and it should not be an issue.
Hope everyone enjoys this update. It's been a while, but the little things here and there are gradually building up. Hope to have trains running soon!
